East Ward Elementary School

Duane's take

Here's my telling of what the official marker says about East Ward Elementary School in Hutchinson County. Now settle in, because this one starts before the city itself did. In 1926, Borger hadn't even been formally organized yet.

The ink was barely dry on the idea of the place, and already some of its citizens were marching down to the Hutchinson County Commissioners Court, petitioning for an independent school system. That's the kind of optimism that either looks foolish or looks visionary, depending on how things turn out. On July 28, 1926, Borger I.S.D. was officially organized, serving an area of 22 square miles.

Plans were drawn up for five brick school buildings. But children don't wait on blueprints, so for the 1926 school year, temporary buildings had to do. About a thousand students showed up, along with 19 teachers.

Here's the part that'll get you: during that first year, no city taxes were available. None. So the citizens and businessmen of Borger reached into their own pockets and contributed to pay the teachers' salaries.

The school district existed because the community willed it into existence. On November 15, 1926, H.H. Shell and Son from Lubbock were chosen as contractor, and M.C.

Butler from Oklahoma City was chosen as architect for the city's schools. Then, in 1927, they built them. East Ward, West Ward, Weatherly, Borger High School, and a gymnasium, all erected that year.

East Ward housed 200 pupils in a brick and tile structure with five classrooms, a study hall, and an office. Nothing fancy, but solid. Built to last.

And here's what the marker wants you to know about that: of all those original buildings, East Ward is the only one still standing. The others are gone. East Ward remained.

As Borger's population grew, particularly during World War II, the schools grew with it. East Ward and Weatherly both saw additions, classrooms, a cafeteria, auditoriums. The building kept absorbing the needs of a growing city.

In 1957, East Ward was renamed James Bowie Elementary. Then came July 1965. Booker T.

Washington School, a school for African Americans, was closed, and its students were transferred to James Bowie Elementary. In the fall of 1965, James Bowie became a fully integrated school. In 1966, the school was converted into a central administrative building.

That building started as a makeshift promise in a city that didn't quite exist yet, and it outlasted every other structure built alongside it. Sometimes the ones that endure are the ones you least expect.

What the marker says

IN 1926, EVEN THOUGH THE CITY OF BORGER HAD NOT YET BEEN FORMALLY ORGANIZED, SOME OF THE CITIZENS PETITIONED THE HUTCHINSON COUNTY COMMISSIONERS COURT TO INCORPORATE AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL SYSTEM. BORGER I.S.D. WAS OFFICIALLY ORGANIZED ON JUL. 28, 1926, SERVING AN AREA OF 22 SQUARE MILES. WHILE PLANS WERE BEING MADE FOR FIVE BRICK SCHOOL BUILDINGS, TEMPORARY BUILDINGS WERE USED FOR THE 1926 SCHOOL YEAR WHICH NUMBERED 19 TEACHERS AND ABOUT 1,000 STUDENTS. DURING THE FIRST YEAR, NO CITY TAXES WERE AVAILABLE, SO THE CITIZENS AND BUSINESSMEN OF BORGER CONTRIBUTED TO PAY THE TEACHERS" SALARIES. ON NOV. 15, 1926, H.H. SHELL AND SON FROM LUBBOCK WERE CHOSEN AS CONTRACTOR, AND M.C. BUTLER FROM OKLAHOMA CITY WAS CHOSEN AS ARCHITECT FOR THE CITY'S SCHOOLS. IN 1927, EAST WARD, WEST WARD, WEATHERLY, BORGER HIGH SCHOOL, AND A GYMNASIUM WERE ERECTED. EAST WARD HOUSED 200 PUPILS AND WAS A BRICK AND TILE STRUCTURE WITH FIVE CLASSROOMS, A STUDY HALL, AND AN OFFICE. OF THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS, EAST WARD IS THE ONLY ONE STILL STANDING. AS THE POPULATION OF BORGER GREW, PARTICULARLY DURING WORLD WAR II, SO DID THE SCHOOLS. EAST WARD AND WEATHERLY BOTH SAW ADDITIONS INCLUDING CLASSROOMS, A CAFETERIA, AND AUDITORIUMS. IN 1957, EAST WARD WAS RENAMED JAMES BOWIE ELEMENTARY. IN JULY 1965, BOOKER T. WASHINGTON SCHOOL, A SCHOOL FOR AFRICAN AMERICANS, WAS CLOSED, AND STUDENTS WERE TRANSFERRED TO JAMES BOWIE ELEMENTARY, WHICH BECAME A FULLY INTEGRATED SCHOOL IN THE FALL OF 1965. IN 1966, THE SCHOOL WAS CONVERTED INTO A CENTRAL ADMINISTRATIVE BUILDING.